A basic North American toilet consists of two major components, a tank and a bowl. The rectangular tank has an approximate capacity of two gallons of water. Connected to the tank is a water line which provides a pressurized source of clean water to the tank. The water stored in the tank empties into the bowl through an aperture controlled by a tank or ball valve. A chain is attached at one end of the chain to a flush handle on the outside of the tank. The other end of the chain is attached to the tank valve. Actuating, the flush handle pulls the chain and lifts the tank valve to allow water from the tank through the aperture and into the bowl. A float is also attached to the flushing system in the tank, which gauges when sufficient water has refilled the tank and allows the tank valve to close over the aperture into the bowl.
The bowl is located below the tank. The bowl may approximate a hemispherical shape. A seat is fitted to the upper edge defined by the planer circumference of the hemisphere. The bottom of the bowl has an aperture which cooperates with a pipe, the pipe forms an upside-down U-shape located directly behind the bowl. The top or apex of the inverted "U" is higher than the bottom of the bowl. The pipe continues down to an exit aperture connected to the sewer pipe opening in the floor. The toilet bowl is mounted over the sewer pipe opening. Water in the bowl and in the pipe will be at the same level, leaving an air pocket in the top of the inverted "U". The air pocket allows for a siphoning action required for flushing.
Water flowing from the tank down into the bowl causes a surge in the bowl. The surge causes water to push into the pipe, upwards around the apex of the "U" in the pipe, pushing the air pocket down into the sewer. This creates a siphon which draws a continuous flow of water from the tank into the bowl and through the pipe. When the tank empties so that there is no more water in the bowl, air fills the "U" in the pipe, stopping the siphon. Once the siphon is interrupted, water fills the tank and re-fills the bowl. The water stops flowing into the bowl when the float in the tank rises with the water level in the tank to a high enough level which allows the tank valve to close. The water level will find itself between the bottom of the bowl and a horizontally equal level in the lower leg of the pipe.
In the prior art, applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No 5,257,421 which issued Nov. 2, 1993 to Rose et al for an Air Fresh Toilet. Rose et al disclose the use of a toilet bowl having an auxiliary passageway built-in to the rear of the bowl and housing a water driven ventilation fan thereon. Water valves are coupled to use of the toilet seat so that weight placed on the seat initiates the fan turbine which runs the fan until the weight is removed from the seat. The disclosed design of the bowl requires that a conventional toilet bowl has to be entirely replaced, rather than providing for retrofit to conventional toilets as in the present invention.